Brothers level up in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ even as more families add to the mania

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As a lifelong Mario fan, I’ve always loved how family is at the heart of the Mario universe – it’s literally in the name! We all know the story: two Italian-American brothers, plumbers from Brooklyn, constantly saving the Mushroom Kingdom. But what about the families within that world? We hadn’t really seen much of that until now. The new movie, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” sequel, finally starts digging into the relationships between all of Mario’s friends and foes, and it’s a really interesting direction after the first film’s huge success.

This movie is the third adaptation of the hugely popular “Mario” video games. Nintendo probably wishes everyone would forget the 1993 live-action film starring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper, but it’s since become a beloved cult classic – a topic for another discussion, perhaps.

The new movie, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” is inspired by the 2007 and 2010 Mario Galaxy games. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, who previously worked together, directed the film, and Matthew Fogel wrote the screenplay. The story sends Mario and Luigi on a cosmic adventure, with the characters frequently launched into space by robots, rays, and UFOs. This isn’t surprising, though, as the Mario brothers aren’t known for staying grounded!

The story centers on two families who have grown apart and are now brought back together. We first meet Princess Rosalina (played by Brie Larson), a blonde princess with a distinctive hairstyle, and her many adorable, floating star-shaped companions, the Luma. She’s captured by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), a mischievous villain who wants to use her magical stardust to fuel a powerful weapon.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie does have scenes after the credits finish! Here’s a breakdown of who appears in them and what they hint at for potential future movies.

It’s revealed that Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) has a long-lost older sister named Rosalina, and she’s been curious about her family history. Bowser Jr. is, unsurprisingly, the son of Bowser (Jack Black), Mario’s turtle-like enemy, who has been shrunk down and locked up in a small castle within Peach’s kingdom. When a little star creature called a Luma arrives at Peach’s birthday party asking for help finding his mother, Rosalina, everyone jumps into action. Peach and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) set off for a portal to the galaxy, while Mario, Luigi, and their new dinosaur friend Yoshi (Donald Glover) stay behind to protect the kingdom – at least for a little while.

As a total cinema fan, this sci-fi adventure felt like a whirlwind tour through space and time – and a loving homage to the last 50 years of movies! It jumps from planet to planet, throwing in little adventures along the way. At first, it reminded me of ‘Indiana Jones,’ then it veered into ‘Blade Runner’ territory. There’s even a quick shout-out to ‘Jurassic Park’ before it really embraces ‘Star Wars,’ especially when Glen Powell shows up as Fox McCloud. Honestly, he nails that Han Solo vibe – it makes me wish he’d gotten the chance to play a younger Solo himself!

Fox McCloud, a character from the Nintendo game “Star Fox” (also created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of “Mario”), joins the cast. While his inclusion feels a bit out of place, the movie is already so action-packed with dinosaurs, a queen bee (played by Issa Rae), and constant craziness that his brief appearance works as a fun nod to fans.

The movie offers a welcome pause, allowing Peach to fully realize her origins and connect with her sister. While Bowser acknowledges the harmful lessons he taught his son, he stubbornly continues to challenge Mario and Luigi, repeatedly seeking defeat.

The new Super Mario Galaxy Movie feels a little more grown-up than the last one, with a suggestion that Mario has a crush on Princess Peach. It’s packed with exciting and genuinely dangerous situations and action scenes. Despite the high stakes, the animation from Illumination Entertainment is stunning, beautifully bringing the classic 8-bit characters and world to life in a way that feels both faithful to the original and completely cinematic.

As a movie fan, I really appreciated all the little nods to classic Nintendo games – there were tons of Easter eggs for those in the know! But honestly, even if you didn’t grow up with those games, it’s still a blast. Like the first movie, this one is just pure energy – loud, quick, and it doesn’t really let up. You don’t so much watch it as just let it wash over you, and thankfully, it’s a pretty fun ride while it does!

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

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2026-04-02 13:33